Woodlawn Crossroads Community
Title
Woodlawn Crossroads Community
Description
The Antebellum Free Black community here was formed by people formerly enslaved on the Mount Vernon Estate. The community continued to grow after the Civil War with the construction of a church, cemetery, school and Odd Fellows hall. The African American community here worked with neighboring Quakers from Pennsylvania to build the school. The community was displaced when the
land was condemned to expand Fort Belvoir prior to World War II. Many members of the community relocated to nearby Gum Springs.
land was condemned to expand Fort Belvoir prior to World War II. Many members of the community relocated to nearby Gum Springs.
Source
“Soil Tilled by Free Men: The Formation of a Free Black Community in Fairfax County, Virginia” by Maddy McCoy and Susan Hellman, Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol 125, No 1
“What’s in a Name” Woodlawn Elementary School,” Fairfax County Public Schools, https://woodlawnes.fcps.edu/about/history
“Woodlawn Cultural Landscape Historic District Nomination Form” https://www.dhr.virginia.gov/wp- /uploads/2018/08/029-5181_Woodlawn_CL_HD_2018_NRHP_draft.pdf
District
Mount Vernon
Location
Woodlawn Rd and Meeres Rd, Fort Belvoir VA 22060
Collection
Citation
“Woodlawn Crossroads Community,” Fairfax County African American History Inventory, accessed October 24, 2026, https://fairfaxaahi.centerformasonslegacies.com/items/show/40.